Method and apparatus for coiling resilient wire



Nov. 7, 1967 H. L. KITSELMAN 3,3

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING RESILIENT WIRE Filed Aug. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Hut 3""? .1

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Nov. 7, 1967 H. L. KITSELMAN 3,351,104

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING RESILIENT WIRE Filed Aug. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 z/vv /v TOR. HARRY LIGrsaMA/v A 7' TOENEYS United States Patent Office 3,351,164 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,351,104 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING RESILIENT WIRE Harry L. Kitselman, Minneapoiis, Minn, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Acrometal Products, Inc, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Aug. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 387,054 14 Claims. (Cl. 140-149) This invention relates generally to the handling of wire, and more particularly to method and apparatus for continuously twisting resilient wire during feeding movements thereof to facilitate handling of the wire.

In the manufacture of wire generally, the wire is drawn through one or more dies to obtain the proper wire diameter, after which the wire is commonly coiled about a non-rotating capstan or dead block. This is accomplished by passing the wire axially through a hollow shaft upon which a flyer is mounted for rotation about the axis of the hollow shaft. The wire is entrained over an orbiting plurality of guide pulleys on the flyer and is discharged from the flyer to fall by gravity around the core of a coil receiving device, or into a container, to provide an upwardly building bundle.

Since the wire is wound around the stationary dead block, the action of winding involves axially twisting the wire for each revolution of the flyer, which in turn, advances the wire by one circumference of the dead block. This twisting of the wire is essential to provide fiat coils; and on relatively soft wire such as copper, brass, or lowcarbon or annealed steel, it is possible to introduce wire straightening and casting means on the flyer which means act on the wire to work it beyond its elastic limit and set the wire in controlled fashion to produce convolutions which naturally lie flat and be of the proper diameter. In the case of relatively soft wire, the amount of cold working required to make a properly cast or dead bundle is easily done, because of the small spring back factor inherent in such soft wires.

With the use of conventional straightening or casting devices in dead block coiling machines involving a flyer, the coiling of hard resilient wire such as high carbon or spring wire has heretofore presented an extremely difficult problem. Until the present time, the problem has been solved by subjecting the wire to a die on the flyer, which die reduces the diameter pf the Wire, overcoming the effect of the torsion but in the wire by the twisting action of wrapping the wire around a stationary block. Obviously, the use of a die on the flyer places a substantial working load on the flyer, and the die must be changed each time that the coiling machine is used with a different diameter wire. In normal use, the flyer can twist the entering wire only once per revolution, and this single twist distributed over a considerable length of wire is completely inadequate, without a drawing or reducing die on the flyer, to impart a set to the wire to accomplish the desired flat coils. Hence, as soon as the hard springy wire is released from the flyer to descend to the carrier, the torsional spring back is released and the coils or rounds untwist in such a way as to form a long open helix which resists all attempts to flatten out into an acceptable bundle.

I have found that, by twisting hard, springy wire on its axis to a point beyond the torsional elastic limit, prior to subjecting the same to the action of a flyer of a dead "block coiling machine, I am able to produce flat coils or rounds and to build up a bundle of wire in a neutral state without the necessity of reducing the diameter of the wire as it passes through the flyer, thereby dispensing with the necessity for a drawing die or the like on the flyer.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a method of continuously twisting a moving length of resilient wire on its axis.

Another object of this invention is the provision of novel means for continuously twisting a length of moving wire on its axis.

Another object of this invention is the provision of novel means for controlling the extent of twisting movement imparted to a length of wire by the twisting means.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a wire packing machine including a. stationary take-up block, a flyer mounted for rotation about said block and having means for receiving wire from a source thereof and wrapping the wire around the block to form convolutions that descend therefrom by gravity, and novel means for continuously twisting the wire on its axis during the feeding of said wire to the flyer.

To the above ends, I provide a pair of wire-engaging elements disposed in spaced apart relationship longitudinally of the direction of wire travel, one of said elements being mounted for rotation relative to the other thereof about the line of wire travel therebetween and adapted to grip the wire continuously during movement of the wire and means for imparting rotation to said one of the elements at speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufficient to twist the wire between said elements beyond the torsional elastic limit of said wire.

The above, and still further highly important objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the invention, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a commercial form of dead block oiler incorporating the wire twisting means of my invention, some parts being broken away;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1.

Referring with greater detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates, in its entirety, a vertically extending generally rectangular frame comprising a base member 2, a plurality of generally vertical legs 3 extending upwardly from the base member 2, top frame members 4 connecting the upper ends of the legs 3, and upper and lower intermediate cross frame members 5 and 6 interconnecting intermediate portions of the legs 3. The lower end portions of the legs 3 are braced by suitable gussets 7 welded to the legs 3 and base member 2. Preferably, the base member 2, legs 3, top members 4 and intermediate members 5 and 6 are made from commercially available structural steel and are welded or otherwise rigidly secured together.

Wire coiling mechanism, indicated generally at 8, includes an annular stationary wire take-up block 9, commonly known as a dead block, and a rotary flyer 10. The annular dead block 9 is horizontally disposed, and is supported from a cross arm 11 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to opposed ones of the cross: frame members 6, by a plurality of hanger rods or bars 12. The dead block 9 is formed to provide a radially outwardly opening circumferential groove 13 and is V-shaped in cross section for reception of wire to be coiled, as will hereinafter appear. A bearing 14 is mounted in the cross arm 11 and journals a vertically extending tubular sleeve "15 that is axially aligned with the dead block 9 and to the upper end of which is rigidly secured a pulley 16. The flyer 10 comprises a horizontally disposed arm 17 which underlies the annular dead book 9 and which is supported from the lower end of the sleeve 15 by a pair of legs 18 that are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured at their lower ends to the arms 17 and welded or otherwise rigidly secured at their upper ends to a mounting collar 19 encompassing the lower end portion of the sleeve 15 and secured thereto by suitable means such as a set screw 26.-

The fiyer further includes a guide pulley 21 that is mounted on the arm 17 for rotation on a generally horizontal axis, the guide pulley 21 being substantially tangentially to the c'ommon axis of the guide tube and dead block 9. A pair of idler pulley 22 and 23 are mounted on the opposite ends of the arm 17 for rotation on generally vertical axes, and are disposed in substantially diametrically opposed relationship radially outwardly of the dead block 9. Means for guiding wire to be coiled, from wire producing mechanism or other suitable source of supply, not shown, includes an idler pulley 24 rotatably mounted between a pair of cross members 25 on a horizontal axis, the cross members 25 being rigidly secured to opposed ones of the top frame members 4, the idler pulley 24 being substantially tangential with the common axis of the sleeve 15 and dead block 9. As shown particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wire to be coiled, indicated at 26, from wire producing mechanism or other suitable source, not shown, is entrained over the idler pulley 24 and extends downwardly therefrom through the sleeve 15 and partially around the guide pulley 21, from whence the wire 26 extends generally radially outwardly to the idler pulley 22 and entrained thereover. From the idler pulley 22, the wire 26 extends to the idler pulley 23, being partially entrained in the groove 13 of the dead block 9. The wire 26 is entrained over the idler pulley 23 and extends from thence to the dead block 9 where it is again received in the groove 13, extending circumferentially therein for the greater part of the circumference of the groove 13, this portion of the wire 26 being disposed radially inwardly of that portion which extends from the idler pulley 22 to the idler pulley 23, whereby to be releasably wedged in the groove 13. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, the wire 26 extends generally tangentially from the dead block 9 adjacent the idler 23 and descends therefrom in the form of a helix 27, responsive to rotation of the flyer 10 in a clockwise direction with respect to FIG. 2. As the flyer 10 rotates, the wire 26 is continuously wrapped around the dead block 9 from the idler pulley 22 and unwrapped therefrom in the form of the helix 27. A coil receiving device adapted to be placed on the base 2, comprises a horizontally disposed foot element 28 and an upstanding core 29 about which loops'of the wire are lo'osely'coiled as they descend from the wire coiling mechanism 8. Means for imparting coling rotation to the flyer 10 comprises a drive shaft 30 that is suitably journalled in a bearing 31 that is mounted in a bracket 32 welded or otherwise rigidly secured to one of the cross frame members 6. The drive shaft 30 may be assumed to be connected to suitable driving means, such as a motor or the like, not shown, and carries a conventional variable speed pulley 33 which entrains an endless drive belt 34. The drive belt 34 runs over another pulley 35 that is rigidly mounted on a jackshaft 36 suitably journalled in the bracket 32 and a second bracket 37 rigidly secured to. the frame 1. A second endless drive belt 38 is entrained over a pulley '39 fast on the jackshaft 36 and over the pulley 16.

The wire coiling or packing machine above described is of a type presently used in the packaging of relatively soft wire having low spring-back characteristics. As above indicated, some. machines of this type further include wire straightening or casting means which act on the wire to work it beyond its elastic limit and set the Wire in controlled fashion to produce convolutions which have a natural tendency to lie fiat and be of the proper diameter. However, it has been found that, to introduce such a set in hard spring wire, without the use of a reducing die, it is necessary to twist a given length of wire a number of revolutions if a twist of one revolution is to be permanently retained after relaxing the torsional tension on the wire. By experiment I have found that an approximately five foot length of spring wire may require twisting to the extend of ten revolutions initially in order that the wire will retain a twist of one revolution when relaxed. Hence, I provide means for pre-twisting the wire between the source thereof and the coiling mechanism 8 now to be described.

A tubular shaft 40 is disposed in overlying spaced relation to the tubular sleeve 15 in axial alignment therewith, and is journalled in a bearing 41 mounted in a cross arm 42 that is rigidly secured at its opposite ends to op= posed ones of the cross frame members 5. A flanged head 43 is rigidly mounted on the upper end of the tubular shaft 40, such as by a set screw or the like 44, the head 43 having a pair of upstanding arms 45 between which is journalled a pulley 46, on a generally horizontal axis, the pulley 46 being generally tangential to the line of travel of the wire 26 from the idler pulley 24 to the wire coiling mechanism 8. A counterweight 47 is mounted on the head 43 opposite the pulley 46 to balance the head 43. At its lower end, the tubular shaft 40 is provided with a pulley 48 over which is entrained an endless drive belt 49 which runs over a second commercially available variable speed pulley 50 mounted on the jackshaft 36.

In use, the wire 26 is wrapped around the idler pulley 24 at least a full convolution, and then wrapped around the pulley 46 for plurality of convolutions before descending to the flyer 10 of the coiling mechanism 8. The wire 26 is under tension between the pulleys 24 and 21, and the variable speed or variable pitch pulleys 33 and 50 are adjusted to cause the pulley 48 to rotate at a substantially higher speed than the pulley 16, both pulleys rotating in the same direction. It will be noted that the distance between the pulleys 24 and 46 is substantially less than that between the pulleys 46 and 21 and that, as the pulley 46 partakes of bodily rotation about the line of travel of the Wire 26 between the pulleys 24 and 21, that portion of the wire between the pulleys 24 and 46 is continuously twisted as it travels toward the coiling mecha' nism 8. In view of the differential in rotary speed between the pulleys 48 and 16, the wire 26 untwists during its travel between the pulley 46 and flyer 10, to the required degree necessary to enable the wire to lie in fiat coils below the coiling mechanism 8. The rotary speed of the twisting head 43 relative to the speed of travel of the wire 26 is determined by the hardness of the wire, it being necessary to twist the wire 26 between the pulleys 24 and 46 beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire to a degree that a length of the Wire equivalent to the circumference of one of the formed coils thereof will be twisted 360. Thus, assuming that the speeds of rotation of the flyer 10 and twisting head 43 are properly ad justed, the wire 26 will lie in flat coils on the foot element 28 and around the core 29.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, it will be seen that an idler pulley 51, journalled on one end of a crank arm 52, engages the belt 34. The crank 52 is pivotally secured to the bracket 32, as indicated at 53, and is adjustable to cause tightening or loosening of the belt 34 by means of a handwheel equipped adjustment screw or the like 54. Adjustment of the crank 52 causes the belt 34 to assume a varying pitch radius in the variable speed pulley 33 whereby to increase or decrease the speed of rotation of the jackshaft 36, pulley 16 and flyer 10. Adjustment of the speed of rotation of the twisting head 43 is obtained by an idler pulley 55 that engages the belt 49, the idler pulley 55 being journalled on one end of a bell crank 56 that is pivotally mounted on a bracket 57 secured to the frame 1. A hand wheel equipped adjustment screw 58 is operatively connected to the opposite end of the bell crank 56 to tighten or loosen the belt 49 to vary the pitch of the variable speed pulley 50. Thus, the speed of coiling of the wire, as well as the amount of twistingof thewire during its movement toward the coiling mechanism, can be accurately controlled to accommodate wire of various degrees of hardness.

It will be appreciated that, in addition to imparting a set to the wire for the purpose of producing a bundle thereof, as above described, the wire twisting mechanism of my invention may be also utilized to eliminate the twist from resilient wire when it is desired to pay out the wire from a stationary bundle formed by the above-described apparatus. With such an arrangement, it would only be necessary to utilize the twisting head 43 and parts as sociated therewith, together with an idler pulley of the type 24, the wire then being fed to the pulley 24 from a stationary bundle thereof, and'directed to its destination from the pulley 46.

While I have shown and described a commercial embodiment of my Wire twisting apparatus, and a method for twisting wire, it will be understood that the same is capable of modification without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire on its axis during travel of the wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said method comprising:

(a) engaging said wire at spaced areas intermediate said source and point of delivery,

(b) and imparting rotation to said wire on its axis at one of said areas relative to the other of said areas and at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel to twist the wire between said areas beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire.

2. The method of continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire on its axis during travel of the wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said method comprising:

(a) engaging said wire at spaced areas intermediate said source and point of delivery,

(b) restraining the wire against rotation on its axis at One of said areas,

(c) and rotating the Wire on its axis at the other of said areas and at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel to twist the wire between said areas beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire.

3. The method of continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire on its axis during travel of the wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said method comprising:

(a) entraining said wire over a pair of pulleys disposed tangentially of the line of wire travel between said source and point of delivery and spaced apart longitudinally of said line of wire travel,

(b) and imparting bodily rotary movement to one of said pulleys relative to the other thereof and about the line of wire travel at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel to twist the wire between said pulleys beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire while maintaining said wire in a straight condition between said pulleys.

4. The method of continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire on its axis during travel of the wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said method comprising:

(a) wrapping said wire over a guide pulley tangential to the line of wire travel and having a fixed axis, to provide at least one full convolution of the wire on said guide pulley,

(b) wrapping said wire over a second pulley spaced from said guide pulley and tangential to the line of Wire travel to provide at least one full convolution of the wire on said second pulley,

(c) and imparting bodily rotation to said second pulley about the line of wire travel at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel to twist the wire between said pulleys beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire.

5. The method of producing an annular package of resilient wire, said method comprising, continuously feeding a length of wire from a source thereof successively to a pair of spaced wire engaging elements and from thence to a coiling device from whence the wire is discharged in successive convolutions, and imparting rotary movement to one of said wire engaging elements relative to the other of said elements and about the line of wire travel at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufficient to twist the wire between said elements beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire prior to engagement of the wire by said coiling device.

6. A device for continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire during travel of the Wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said device comprising:

(a) a pair of wire-engaging elements disposed in spaced apart relationship longitudinally of the direction of wire travel between said wire source and said point of delivery of the wire,

(b) one of said elements comprising a pulley disposed tangentially of the line of travel of the wire for reception of at least one convolution of wire wrapped thereon,

(c) means mounting said pulley for rotation on its own axis and for bodily rotation about the line of wire travel,

(d) and means for imparting said bodily rotation to said pulley at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel suflicient to twist the wire between said elements beyond the torsional elastic limit of thewire.

7. A device for continuously twisting a moving single filament of resilient wire during travel of the Wire from a source thereof to a point of delivery, said device comprising:

(a) a pair of wire engaging pulleys disposed in spaced apart relationship longitudinally of the direction of wire travel between said source and point of delivery,

(b) means journalling one of said pulleys tangentially of the line of wire travel on a fixed axis extending transversely of the direction of Wire travel,

(0) means mounting the other of said pulleys tangentially of the line of wire travel for rotation on an axis extending transversely of the direction of wire travel and for bodily rotation about the line of wire travel,

(d) each of said pulleys being adapted to receive at least one convolution of the wire wrapped thereon,

(e) and means for imparting said bodily rotation to said other of said pulleys at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufiicient to twist the wire between said pulleys beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire.

8. The structure defined in claim 7 in which said other of said pulleys is adapted to be disposed intermediate said one of the pulleys and said point of wire delivery.

9. In combination with a wire-packing machine including, a stationary take-up block, a fiyer mounted for rotation about said block and having means for receiving wire from a source thereof and wrapping the Wire around said block to form convolutions that descend therefrom by gravity, and driving means for imparting rotation to said fiyer;

(a) a pair of wire-engaging elements mounted on said machine intermediate said flyer and said wire source and disposed in spaced apart relationship longitudinally of the direction of wire travel toward said flyer, one of said elements being mounted for rotation relative to the other thereof about the line of wire travel therebetween and adapted to grip the wire continuously during movement of the wire toward said flyer,

(b) and means for imparting rotation to said one of said elements at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufiicient to twist the wire between said elements beyond the torsional elastic limit of said wire.

10. The structure defined in claim 9 in which said means for imparting rotation to said one of the elements includes power transmission mechanism operatively connected to said driving means.

11. The structure defined in claim 10 in which said power transmission mechanism includes a variable speed device for varying the speed of rotation of said one of the elements relative to the speed of said driving means.

12. In a combination with a wire packing machine including, a frame structure, a stationary wire take-up block mounted on said frame structure, a fiyer mounted for rotation about said take-up block and having means for receiving wire from a source thereof and wrapping the wire around the block to form convolutions that descend from the block by gravity, and driving means on said frame structure for imparting rotation to said flyer;

(a) a guide pulley journalled on said frame structure in spaced relation to said fiyer for guiding the wire from said source toward said flyer,

(b) a second pulley disposed generally tangentially to the line of wire travel between said guide pulley and said fiyer and adapted to receive and be wrapped by at least one convolution of said wire during movement of the wire toward said flyer,

(c) means mounting said second pulley on said frame structure for rotation on an axis transversely of the line of travel of the wire and for bodily rotation of said second pulley about the line of travel of the wire,

(d) and means connected to said driving means for imparting said bodily rotation to the second pulley at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufficient to twist the wire between said pulleys beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire.

13. The structure defined in claim 12 in which said means for imparting bodily rotation to said second pulley comprises power transmission mechanism including a variable speed device for varying the speed of said bodily, rotation of the second pulley relative to the speed of rotation of said flyer and the speed of wire travel.

14. In a wire packing machine including a stationary wire take-up block, a fiyer mounted for rotation about said block and having guide means for receiving wire from a source thereof and wrapping the wire around said block to form convolutions which descend therefrom by gravity, and means for imparting rotary movement to said fiyer and guide means, the improvement comprising:

(a) a pair of wire engaging elements disposed in spaced apart relationship longitudinally of the wire between said flyer and said wire source and adapted to grip the wire continuously during movement thereof toward said flyer,

(b) means mounting said elements for rotation of one thereof relative to the other thereof substantially about the axis of the wire therebetween,

(c) and means for imparting said rotation to said one of the elements at a speed relative to the speed of wire travel sufficient to twist the wire therebetween and the other of said elements beyond the torsional elastic limit of the wire to the extent that the wire will lie in fiat coils when dispensed from said block.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,567,637 9/1951 Workman 140149 X 2,833,329 5/1958 De Poy 72-66 3,067,782 12/1966 Dean et al. l40--l49 5 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY TWISTING A MOVING SINGLE FILAMENT OF RESILIENT WIRE ON ITS AXIS DURING TRAVEL OF THE WIRE FROM A SOURCE THEREOF TO A POINT OF DELIVERY, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: (A) ENGAGING SAID WIRE AT SPACED AREAS INTERMEDIATE SAID SOURCE AND POINT OF DELIVERY, (B) AND IMPARTING ROTATION TO SAID WIRE ON ITS AXIS AT ONE OF SAID AREAS RELATIVE TO THE OTHER OF SAID AREAS AND AT A SPEED RELATIVE TO THE SPEED OF WIRE TRAVEL TO TWIST THE WIRE BETWEEN SAID AREAS BEYOND THE TORSIONAL ELASTIC LIMIT OF THE WIRE. 